Can Bed Bugs be Prevented?
Stephen L. Doggett I Director, Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW, 2145
The global resurgence in bed bugs was as unexpected as it was dramatic and there are few signs that infestations across the world are on the decline. It is not so much a question of if your facility may become infested with bed bugs, but more of a case when.
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ed bugs are bloodsucking insects that can inflict a very nasty and irritating bite. The big problem is the associated financial costs. Bed bug eradication is expensive (even into the thousands) and if done poorly by the unskilled can result in the spreading of an infestation. This can substantially escalate control
costs, even a hundred fold as has happened in at least one facility in the past. Guests bitten are unlikely to return and the negative publicity generated can severely affect a hotel’s reputation. In one case, eight figure litigation (yes $20million!) was initiated as a result of a guest being attacked in an upper end hotel. So what can you do to prevent bed bugs? The simple answer is very little. However, a great deal can be done to reduce the risk of bed bugs becoming established and developing into a major fiscal burden for your organisation.
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Most importantly however, an organisation should have as part of their risk management process, a Bed Bug Management policy. The policy should cover aspects such as training, documentation of bed bug activity, work health and safety, the eradication processes, and those aspects dealing with the reduction of bed bug risks. To assist the hospitality industries and those that provide beds for others, a generic policy has been developed by the author of this article. ‘A Bed Bug Management Policy & Procedural Guide for Accommodation Providers’ is available as a free download from: http://medent.usyd.edu.au/bedbug/man_policy.htm. You are welcome to use this policy and to adapt it for your specific circumstances. A bed bug management policy that is adopted and adhered too may also reduce the potential for litigation.
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So what are the various strategies that can be implemented with the four phases of a bed bug infestation?
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Introduction. Educating travellers and tenants on how to avoid bed bugs in the first place will help to reduce the spread of the insects in the long term to all affected stakeholders. People need to be able to recognise the signs of the insect (live bed bugs and their spotting) as
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Broadly speaking there are four phases of a bed bug infestation; the Introduction of the insect, the Establishment of the pest, the Growth of the infestation, and finally the Spread of the insect. Strategies can be implemented that can combat bed bugs for each of the four phases and these will be discussed below.